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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Lemmi guess....you just assumed we forgot all about our kitchen remodel since it has been months since I posted any updates? You would be somewhat correct. After we got it back in working order, the little details fell by the wayside. Trim work, painting, and touch-ups were put on the back burner the second the sun started to break and the weather got warm. We moved the party outdoors and left the kitchen to tend to the patio. The ultimate push came when we decided to host my sister's college graduation party. We finally had an excuse/reason to finally finish the little things. With the party being held this past weekend, the kitchen got a thorough cleaning and was ready for its close-up.

Let's backtrack a minute though, just in case you forgot where it all started. Make sure you've checked in to the first 2 installments (here & here), and the accessorizing I did to get to this point.

Since we last updated our progress, we were able to bust out my new router and table to give the counter trim a rounded edge and look more finished. The cabinets got a fresh coat of crisp white paint, the new range hood was installed, and the backsplash was installed and grouted.

Here we go!

Before (from living room)

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After (from living room)

Before (from dining room)

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After (from dining room)

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Before (from back foyer)

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After (from back foyer)

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﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿We worked really hard! With all the cabinets being original to the 1930s house, there was A LOT of modifications....remember I was planning this for a weekend project (important tidbit I am often reminded of!). But, as a recap, we were able to extend the length of the counter by about 2 inches - it doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me...it is. We also added the angled part to the front of the counter. It really helps serve as a ledge to rest things, and allowed us to pull the sink further from the wall.

Before view of behind the sink

After view of behind the sink

That tiny smidge of counter you see behind the sink ledge was all we needed to make the new sink sit correctly.

Here's another view of the counter space to the left.

Before - left side of counter

After left side of counter

We also added some fancy trim pieces for the edges.

Trim being added

Trim drying

Trim painted and done!

And that, my friends, is how you remodel a kitchen! Total budget came out a liiiiiiiiittle bit higher than I planned for, but we did everything ourselves (we considered buying ready-made cabinets for about a millisecond) and we modified existing elements as much as possible. It really was the final touch to redoing our home. Now we need to move so we can work on something else! :)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

I gotta admit, I'm pretty pumped about this reveal. I've been searching high and low for a long time for something that our television could sit on, and I finally got it! For FREE - even better! Without further ado, I give you this.....

Sexy, right?
It's an old AM/FM radio and record player console. The middle flap on the top lifts up and reveals this...

And the side compartments house the speakers.

The fancy scrollwork was the whole reason I fell in love with this piece in the first place. I was extra careful during deconstruction to make sure nothing happened to these pieces.

So where am I going with this? Well, first things first, I had to rip that sucker apart!

I got a studly man to start cutting through the front panel of the console. This is where the components would sit for the TV.

After several hours of demolition, I ended up with this mess and a garbage can full of junk. But the more I started taking things apart and removing stuff, the better the soon-to-be-finished product looked.

After Day One (and after I cleaned up my mess) this is where I was at. It not only looked better, but it weighed about 50 lbs less after all the stereo stuff was removed. Note: the top flap was on hinges and no longer stayed down once I removed the radio attached to it. I later solved that problem by using magnets to keep it closed.

I built a shelf in the middle using leftover MDF board.

The next day I got to work on painting. I decided to make the whole console white, using leftover white paint from our bathroom remodel. The fancy scrolled panels were going to be different though, to let them stand out. I laid them out and sprayed them with aqua spray paint I had on hand.

I didn't get any other working shots, mainly because I was anxious to get this thing finished and in our living room.

But here she is....

Allow me to point out a few things:

1. The blue panels were backed with coordinating fabric I had in my fabric stash and turned into door panels for the speaker cabinets.

2. The center of the console was cut out and turned into shelf space for the television cable box.

3. The shelves and middle area were covered with leftover wallpaper from the stairwell project I did last month.﻿

The paint job took several coats (like SIX!) but I used a high density foam roller that made sure it was a smooth and even finish all over.

Before I brought it inside, I had Dan do a once-over to make sure I didn't miss any spots with the paint (he had been pointing places out all along, being anal as usual). This was his idea of being funny, inspecting my work....

Luckily though, it passed inspection and we were able to bring it inside.

It fits the size of the television so much better than the cheapy Target model we bought several months ago (which is now being listed on Craigslist).

I added hinges to the blue wood panels, which now serve as doors. A great place to stash junk and Wii games out of sight.

I'm soooo happy with the finished product! It looks fantastic in the living room and is the final piece I've been looking for.

And I know I'm probably the only one who would pair a blue and white console next to a pink chair, but I think it works for me :)

Hello, there!!

I'm Jess. I'm an Interior Designer and avid upholsterer, furniture refinisher, blogger, and craftaholic.This is the place I tell all my stories. This is how I keep sane from day to day. This is my after-hours job. This is my before and after catalog of my greatest work. But most importantly....This Is My Life.